


I Should Never Wish to Fall Flat on My Face in Front of You

by Dahlia_Moon



Category: Star Trek (2009), Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Community: cottoncandy_bingo, Gen, Pre-Slash, Sickfic, however much i wanted it to be explicit slash, it just didn't want to go in that direction, more like gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-23
Updated: 2013-05-23
Packaged: 2017-12-12 14:54:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/812829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dahlia_Moon/pseuds/Dahlia_Moon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff"><p>For the prompt "sneezing/sniffles" for cottoncandy_bingo Round 1 Amnesty. My card is <a href="http://dahlia-moon.dreamwidth.org/247993.html#cutid1">here</a>.</p></blockquote>





	I Should Never Wish to Fall Flat on My Face in Front of You

Spock hesitated for only a moment before he stepped into the sick bay. He found McCoy hovering over a patient, PADD in hand, with Chapel on the other side of the biobed. 

The walk to the sick bay hadn't been as productive as Spock had hoped. He still had no idea how he was going to approach the doctor concerning the Captain. But, seeing as he was First Officer, and it was in his job description to look after the Captain when said captain was being stubborn and unnecessarily putting himself in danger, he squared his shoulders and politely coughed to get McCoy's attention. The Captain could be mad at him later for "ratting" him out, as Kirk would say, when he was healthy and back to being himself. 

"What do you need, Mr. Spock?"

"I am curious how severe symptoms of the flu must be in a human for them to be restricted to bed rest?"

"They must exhibit a high fever, shakes, sneezing and coughing, red, blurry eyes and blotched nose." McCoy looked up curiously from the PADD. "Wait...who is refusing bed rest?"

Spock found himself curiously not wanting to divulge the information, but it appeared that he didn't need to.

"Damnit, Jim! I told him to rest if he wasn't feeling 100% percent. Stubborn bastard. If I wasn't around, he'd seriously run himself into the ground. Chapel, take over Ensign Haines please, while I go wrestle our good Captain away from the command chair."

The ride in the turbolift was silent, but not comfortable. McCoy scowled for the entire ride, and all Spock could think about was the ensuing "battle" that would most likely resort when McCoy and he stepped out onto the bridge and Kirk learned that he was about to be outnumbered.

But Spock consoled himself with the fact that humans were illogical creatures who did not know their own limits, and James T. Kirk, as Spock learned, was the epitome of an illogical human. If Spock wasn't around (along with McCoy, who, though they didn't see eye-to-eye on most things and the doctor still had the habit of calling him a green-blooded hobgoblin, proved to be a great ally when the Captain needed to be steamrolled against his own stubbornness) to look after his Captain, Kirk would not accept that having the flu was enough of a good reason to be absent from the bridge. 

"Goddamn it, Jim, you look like you're ready to fall flat on your face!"

Kirk turned sharply toward them when they stepped out of the turbolift. Spock was absolutely not hiding behind McCoy when the doctor whipped out his tricorder and tried to scan the Captain because using McCoy as a human shield would have been ridiculous and illogical. No, he just happened to be standing a bit behind McCoy so as to not be in the way. Spock could not deny that the betrayed look that flashed briefly through Kirk's eyes when McCoy started yelling at him cut into Spock deeply. He was being a good first officer; Kirk's erroneous assumptions that he was fit for duty were detrimental. Spock only meant to protect him and if Kirk didn't see that, well...he was a bigger fool than Spock first surmised. Though that wasn't wholly true either--human emotions were complex, Spock knew; it wasn't all black and white, foolish or smart. He knew why Kirk was pushing himself hard when 45.7 percent of the human population of the _Enterprise_ had contracted the flu and were confined to bed rest. Spock might have understood and respected Kirk's work ethics and dedication, but, honestly speaking, he would've been more impressed if Kirk knew when to quit and get relieved from duty.

"Spooock, how could you do this to me? I told you, I'm _fine_ , I'm dandy! I don't feel sick at all."

"I would believe you, Captain, were it not for the fact that you've sneezed twenty-five times since you've started your shift an hour ago; you've coughed thirty times; your nose is rather runny and red from the repeated wiping with the handkerchief; and the fact that I can feel your body heat has risen approximately five degrees more than human physiology calls for, I would have to disagree with your assessment."

Kirk scowled at him, but Spock remained steadfast, though he had the strong urge to fidget.

"Spock's right, Jim, you have a fever of 103, and really, as your doctor, I'm ordering you to sick bay right now."

Kirk jumped out of the chair, appearing to be in fight mode, and Spock clenched his hands behind his back. If it came to it, he'd have to nerve pinch Kirk again. He didn't like using his superior Vulcan physiology over anyone, especially the Captain, but if Kirk didn't listen to them both, he wouldn't have any other choice.

"I'm _fine_ ," Kirk spat, though to Spock's ears he did not sound fine by any measure. His voice was hoarse, and he looked a little wobbly on his feet. He tried to crowd into Spock's personal space before his eyes rolled to the back of his head, and he went tumbling down. Spock's arms instinctively reached out for him before Kirk could hit the ground, holding him up awkwardly while the rest of the bridge looked on in shock. 

McCoy's scowl hadn't left his face, Spock noted. 

"Can you carry him to the sick bay," McCoy asked.

"Certainly, Doctor."

* * *

He carried Kirk to the sick bay with ease, but he couldn't leave him in McCoy's care quite as easily. Illogically, he wanted to stand guard over his Captain. But the  _Enterprise_ needed a captain, if only for the time being, so Spock forced his legs to return to the bridge.

There really wasn't anything he could do for the Captain but let him recuperate anyways. 

When his shift was over, however, instead of going to his own room, he found himself heading to sick bay. When he got there, he was shocked to find that the captain had been released. 

"I tried to keep him here, but you know how he gets," McCoy explained. "At least his temperature was going down when he woke up and begged to be released. I did threaten him with hypos if he went back to the bridge so hopefully he's in bed and not wondering around somewhere."

Spock thanked the doctor. For the second time that day, he found himself floundering on what to do next. He wanted to check up on Kirk, but seeing as Kirk discharged himself, he pondered whether Kirk would want Spock visiting him in his quarters.

He only deliberated for .30 seconds more.

* * *

The voice behind the door was definitely weaker than it had been this morning. Kirk let him in, at any rate, and Spock counted that as a win, although when the door slid shut behind him, Spock had a moment of doubt. Kirk was burrowed fully under the covers that Spock couldn't see him. He probably didn't even know it was Spock he invited in; he could've been expecting McCoy or someone else. 

Spock cleared his throat, feeling awkward.

Kirk's head popped up over the edge of his sheets. 

"Oh. It's you."

Spock expected the coldness, knew it wouldn't be pleasant which was why he was currently standing in his captain's rooms. He wanted a chance to explain himself.

"Captain, I just wanted to-"

"To check up on me? Yeah, I gathered. Well, as you can see, I'm fine, Spock. I'm in bed, resting, and _everything_."

"I sought Doctor McCoy's aid because you would not listen to reason. You were pushing your body beyond its capacity to function. Bed rest when you are sick is not ill-advised, but rather preferred." 

"Do Vulcans get sick, Spock?"

"No, not often. We have ways to fight infection and illness before it attacks our body."

"So, you wouldn't know what it feels like?"

Spock refrained from mentioning that as a child he did get sick quite often, and remembered those periods excruciatingly well; it was one of the many taunts his bullies liked to throw his way, his human-half being susceptible to illness that his Vulcan-half was trying so hard to fight before it started. But that felt personal, and Spock wasn't sure he was ready to explore that territory with his captain. Jim _made_ him feel so many things all at once, it seemed, Spock couldn't catch his breath.

"Am I a good captain, Spock?"

The question caught Spock off guard. "Of course."

"Even though I'm a weakling?"

"You cannot help your human physiology any more than I can my own. But you are an admirable captain, regardless."

"High praise, coming from you."

Spock didn't believe so, he was just being truthful. Yet, he didn't want to argue with Kirk anymore. "Sleep, Captain."

Kirk huffed a little. "That's what I was trying to do." He took a tissue from his nightstand and blew his nose, throwing the tissue onto the floor. It was then that Spock noticed the floor littered with used tissues.

Kirk burrowed back under the covers. The really strange thing was he didn't force Spock out of the room. Spock listened as Kirk's heartbeat and breath slowed down, and he fell into a deep sleep. Spock went around the room, picking up the used tissues and deposing them in the trash receptacle in their adjoining bathroom.

Though it was completely unnecessary, Spock settled into a chair, intent on keeping watch. He entertained the idea of making chicken soup for his Captain later; he knew that was the go-to comfort food for sick humans. And that was just what he did. 

**Author's Note:**

> For the prompt "sneezing/sniffles" for cottoncandy_bingo Round 1 Amnesty. My card is [here](http://dahlia-moon.dreamwidth.org/247993.html#cutid1).


End file.
